It’s not a repudiation of the entire process but it’s a step. A bill to allow the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate hydraulic fracturing, a process where by millions of gallons of water – mixed with sand and other chemicals – are shot into the ground in order to bring up natural gas, was introduced today. Currently it’s up to states to regulate hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and some states do a better job than others. Few states, if any – and especially not Arkansas, require gas companies to disclose exactly what chemicals are used in the process. It’s suspected that drinking frack water is what killed 19 cows in Louisiana recently. Treating illnesses or emergency health problems due to exposure to frack water is complicated by the secrecy of the formula as well – health professionals don’t know what they’re dealing with. For more details on the process, check out the Natural Resources Defense Council report Drilling Down. For more info on the bill, check out Amy Mall’s blog, Switchboard.
Here’s some more resources: For history, fact sheets and all kinds of info, check out EarthWorks, and the Oil and Gas Accountability Project.
Read the House bill, introduced by Diana Degette, D-CO and others.
Read the Senate version, introduced by Sen. Bob Casey, D-PA